Epilepsy and Australian Shepherds

by Nancy
(Green Bay, WI)

In July I gave my Aussie Frontline Plus. The next day he had a seizure. I freaked!!! He has had 11 of them so far. The last time he had 5 on Labor Day. Took him to the Animal Emergency Hospital and they gave him an IV and gave him phenobarbital. He has had no seizures since but did anyone else give their Aussie Frontline Plus and experience seizures in their pet? The vets say Frontline Plus can not cause seizures in dogs. The internet says different. Did you experience this happening to your Aussie or dog?

Comments for Epilepsy and Australian Shepherds

YES Flea meds. can cause seizures KEEP YOUR DOG OFF extened phenobarbitol short term ok long term no good. there are other long term meds [ keppra ] is one go with generic .Costco has the best price .depends where you get it 75$ 1500 mg max.dog can take missy was 65lbs.also ..Holistic measures do work. We found out to late for are baby missy, we had Gold bead acupuncture done on her ,also Chinese seizure herbs she was having BAD seizyres every 8 days.after treatment they stoped for two months .but the phen attacked liver .raised ammonia level in blood.went into extened seizure for 30 plus hours.had to put her down. I wish it had not taken so long for us to find alternative treatment. I can find out the name of the herbs and the calming pills if any one wants to know

Epilepsyby: Nancy Kolosso

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your baby. Yes I would like to know the natural remedies for fleas and ticks. I will surely NEVER give chemicals to our babies again. It is heart breaking to watch a dog in a seizure. Hopefully we don't ever have to do it again. Thanks for the info!!!

Toy Assie & Frontline Plusby: Anonymous

In answer to your question I have given Frontline Plus to my toy Aussie weighing 22 lbs three times this year and it did the job in flea season with no ill effects.

fontlineby: Anonymous

PLEASE be careful!! Many herding breed dogs have an allergy to ivermectin, which is found in heartguard. This usually is only an issue if your aussie has the MDR1 mutated gene. Here is a good link http://arlingtonanimalclinic.net/2012/08/21/herding-dogs-the-mdr1-mutation-and-ivermectin-heartgard/

flea and tick treatmentsby: Anonymous

My 6 year old mini Aussie has problems with topical flea/tick meds as well. Dakota would become lethargic for about a couple of days...and then he was fine. I stopped using them. I use a natural flea and tick shampoo that has cinnamon and cedar in it...and bathe him once a week during the summer. This also helps with the mosquitoes. I do use a flea/tick collar in addition to the weekly bath, and it doesn't seem to affect Dakota, just the nasties.Good luck

Be Careful!!by: Nancy

I wouldn't use the flea & tick collars either. They also have chemicals in them and can cause seizures in dogs and cats. Your natural remedies are okay but be careful of over the counter products. Our Rudy is still not back to what he was before we administered Frontline Plus. Maybe with a few prayers he will be. I am praying.

Flea and Tick Productsby: Nancy

No, Frontline Plus does not contain Ivermectin unless it's in the Inert ingredients but it contains other chemicals instead. The ingredients in Frontline Plus, Fipronil and Methoprene and 81.4% of Inert Ingredients are all chemicals. Not only does this Frontline Plus affect Aussies but many other dogs also and some cats. It has been known to kill some dogs. We are very lucky that this didn't happen to our Rudy. Please, Please be careful what you put on your best friend!!!

frontline does can cause sizures in some dogsby: Anonymous

My Aussie was my best friend. It took a few weeks to put it together. Every-time I gave her Front line she would have a seizure and her leg would go out from under her. When I stopped giving it to her she stopped having seizures. I talked to my vet and he said he was sure it wasn't the F/L. So I would start giving it her and the seizures would return. So I stopped giving it to her. She developed diabetes and we had to give her injections twice a day. She died at 6 years old, my baby. Don't use front line on heading dogs!